Marking apparatus for buttons and buttonholes



MARKING APPARATUS FOR BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES Filed Feb. 21, i 1966 E. MAIER May 6, 1969 Sheet Mil i-N701? ew/1v M0162 av 4M. C1447 QTTGAIVEKS May 6, 1969 Filed Feb. 21, 1966 Sheet INVENTOR ER w/N Mm EQ ArroeMEKs United States Patent MARKING APPARATUS FOR BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES Erwin Maier, 19 Unterhoihinger Strasse, 7317 Wendlingen, Wurttemberg, Germany Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,984

Int. Cl. A41h 25/00 U.S. Cl. 33-190 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for simultaneously marking desired locations of buttons and buttonholes on a stack of superimposed pieces of fabric, including a plurality of aligned marker units, each unit including an upper and a lower portion, wherein each individual marker unit is constructed such that it may be shifted with respect to the remaining units merely by adjustment of a single guide member.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for simultaneously marking the points on superimposed pieces of fabrics for household use and wearing apparel in which buttons and buttonholes are to be provided in corresponding positions. Such an apparatus generally comprises a lower fixed plate for supporting the fabrics to be marked, an upper pressure plate which is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly, and lower and upper marking elements for applying suitable markings on the superimposed fabric pieces which are inserted between the two plates.

The known apparatus of this type are usually provided with heated marking elements and the markings are applied on the superimposed fabric pieces by ironing operations in which the edge portions of the fabric pieces may also be ironed at the same time. In some of these apparatus the male marking elements are provided in fixed positions on a common plate, while the female marking elements consist of a common groove in another plate. If a different spacing between the markings is desired, it is only necessary to exchange the plate carrying the male marking elements. For marking articles of different types or sizes, such an apparatus therefore requires a larger number of plates on each of which the male marking elements are spaced from each other at a different graduation. Special requests for applying buttons and buttonholes on textile articles at a spacing for which no marking plate is provided can therefore not be fulfilled, unless the order is so large that it is worthwhile to have a special marking plate made. It is also known to provide the set of marking elements on one side of the apparatus on an adjustable spacing device in the form of lazy tongs. Such a device has, however, also not proved satisfactory since at every adjustment of the set of marking elements to a different spacing, it also requires the opposite set to be newly adjusted and carefully aligned with the marking elements of the first set. Furthermore, such an apparatus cannot be employed when the markings are to be spaced at irregular distances from each other. In order to insure that the markings will be applied equally on each article of a larger order, the lower supporting plate of any of the known marking apparatus is provided with stops or guide lines or one or both ends of the lower supporting plate are provided with pins on which the articles to be marked are applied and thus held in a fixed position. Despite these devices it has been found that the articles to be marked frequently slip so that the markings are then made at inaccurate positions. The most serious disadvantage of the known marking apparatus is, however, the fact that it may easily occur that during the marking operation the superimposed fabric pieces on which buttons and buttonholes are to be provided may shift relative to each other.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a marking apparatus of the type as mentioned at the beginning which overcomes all of the disadvantages of the known apparatus as described above and especially permits the marking elements to be very easily and quickly adjusted to different positions or spacings. For attaining this object, the invention provides that the lower marking elements are provided on lower arms which are located underneath the lower supporting plate and the upper marking elements are provided on upper arms which engage upon the upper pressure plate, and that these lower and upper arms forming one pair are combined with each other so as to form a structural unit which may be easily exchanged for another unit and also easily shifted relative to the other marking units of the apparatus. Since the upper and lower marking elements of each pair or unit always remain in the proper alignment with each other, it is therefore posible to adjust the various marking elements very quickly to the particular spacing which may be required. Such a marking unit may according to the invention be of a very simple construction. The upper arm of each unit is for this purpose preferably pivotably mounted in a bearing bracket which is secured to the lower arm. The upper arm is further preferably acted upon by a spring which tends to press this arm in the direction toward the upper pressure plate.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower arm is slidable in suitable guiding means which are located in a fixed position underneath the lower supporting plate, and this arm may also be provided with connecting elements for connecting it to a spacing device which maintains the individual marking units at a certain distance from each other and may be designed, for example, in a conventional manner on the principle of lazy tongs.

If the marking elements are to be heated for ironing the markings on the materials, the invention further provides that the upper marking elements preferably extend through the upper arms and engage directly on the upper pressure plate so as to be easily slidable thereon and to be heated directly by this plate.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the marking apparatus with spring-equipped clamping arms which may also consist of a resilient material and are disposed between the lower arms and the upper arms waich are movable upwardly and downwardly together with the upper pressure plate. These clamping arms are mounted so as to be pivotable about the same axis as the upper arms and they are designed so as to engage upon the textile articles near the points to be marked before the marking elements on the upper arms engage thereon and in a manner so as to clamp the textile articles upon the lower supporting plate. The textile articles are therefore clamped down in a fixed position during the final period of the downward movement of the upper pressure plate and especially during the actual marking operation, and preferably at every point to be marked. When the upper pressure plate is again raised, the clamping arms are likewise raised so that the marked articles may then be removed from the apparatus without any difficulty.

Each clamping arm is preferably acted upon by a spring which tends to move the arm away from the upper pressure plate. Consequently, when during the first part of the downward movement of the pressure plate the clamping arm engages upon the article to be marked and the pressure plate is then moved further downwardly,

the pressure of the clamping arm upon the article will increase until the pressure plate has reached the end of its downward movement.

The above-mentioned as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows diagrammatically and partly in section a side view of the apparatus in the closed position, that is, with the upper pressure plate in the depressed position;

FIGURE 2 shows a similar view of the apparatus, but in the open position, that is, with the upper pressure plate in the raised position;

FIGURE 3 shows a rear view of the apparatus, as seen in the direction of the arrow III in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 shows a general perspective view of the upper part of the apparatus; while FIGURE 5 shows a general perspective front view of the entire apparatus on a reduced scale.

The marking apparatus according to the invention as illustrated in the drawings essentially consists of a suitable stand 1 which carries a stationary supporting plate 2 on which the material S is placed which is to be marked, of a movable upper pressure plate 4 which is pivotable about a horizontal axis 3, and of a series of marking units 5 which are arranged side by side so as to form a row.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3, each of these marking units 5 consists of an upper arm 6, the free end of which acts upon the lower side of the upper pressure plate 4, an intermediate clamping arm 7, and a lower arm 8 which is located underneath the lower supporting plate 2 and the front end of which is secured to a plate which is slidably guided between a pair of guide members 9 which are secured to the stand 1. This plate 10 carries a male marking element 11 which extends upwardly through a slot in the base plate 2 and is associated with a female marking element 12 which extends loosely through an aperture in the front end of the upper arm 6 and is provided with a recess which, as shown in FIGURE 1, has a shape corresponding to that of the pointed end of the marking element 11. The marking element 12 is integral with or secured to a wide upper back plate 13 which engages with its smooth upper surface upon the likewise smooth lower surface of the heated pressure plate 4. The lower guide members 9 may likewise be heated. For attaining the best possible heat transmission, both the upper marking unit 12, 13, and the lower marking unit 10, 11 are preferably made partly or entirely of copper or another highly heat-conductive material.

The rear end of the lower arm 8 carries a bearing bracket 14 in which a shaft 15 is mounted on which the upper arm 6 and the intermediate clamping arm 7 are pivotably mounted. This shaft 15 carries two torsion coil springs 16 and 17, the first of which acts with one end upon the lower arm 8 and with the other end upon the upper arm 6 and presses the latter constantly against the pressure plate 4, while the other spring 17 acts with one end upon the clamping arm 7 and with the other end upon the upper arm 6 and presses the clamping arm 7 resiliently away from the upper arm 6. For limiting the extent of this movement a screw 18 is inserted through both arms 6 and 7 and carries a nut member 19 on the lower side of the arm 7 which serves as an abutment for this arm and permits the maximum distance between the arms 6 and 7 to be easily adjusted.

The front end of each clamping arm 7 is bent downwardly and has a serrated edge for gripping the material more securely. The supporting plate 2 carries adjustably on its upper side a stop plate 21, while underneath it an adjusting device 22 similar to a set of lazy tongs is provided which is connected to the plate 10 of each marking unit 5 by a connecting pin 23 and permits all marking units to be adjusted simultaneously and so as always to remain at equal distances from each other. In place of such a conventional adjusting device it is also possible to employ any other suitable common adjusting device. The individual marking units 5 may, however, also be adjusted individually and separately from each other.

The manner of operation of the marking apparatus is as follows:

Since the upper arm 6 of each marking unit 5 is always pressed upwardly by the action of the spring 16, it always presses the marking element 12 which is loosely connected to the outer end of this arm against the heated pressure plate 4 and thereby maintains the flat upper surface of the back plate 13 of this marking element 12 constantly in full engagement with the lower surface of the pressure plate 4. Since these surfaces of pressure plate 4 and of the back plate 13 of each marking element '12 are perfectly smooth, these marking elements may be easily shifted along the pressure plate 4 and the individual marking units may thus be easily adjusted. The intermediate clamping arm 7 of each marking unit is constantly acted upon by the spring 17 which tends to pivot this arm downwardly and away from the upper arm 6. The extent of this movement of the clamping arm 7 away from the arm 6 is, however, limited by the nut 19 on the screw 18 so that, when the marking apparatus is in the open position, as shown in FIGURE 2, the clamping arm 7 remains in an intermediate position. When the upper pressure plate 4 is pivoted downwardly, both arms 6 and 7 of each marking unit 5 are at first also moved downwardly until the clamping arm 7 engages with its downwardly bent front end 20 upon the material lying on the supporting plate 2 and presses the same thereon with the resilient pressure of the spring 17. When the upper pressure plate 4 is moved further downwardly spring 17 is further tightened and the clamping arm 7 therefore presses the material more firmly upon the supporting plate 2 until the upper marking element 12 also engages with the material and then presses it upon the lower marking element 11 and thereby irons the desired marking into the material. This position of the marking apparatus is shown in FIGURE 1. When the pressure plate 4 is again moved upwardly from this position, at first only the upper arm 6 of each marking unit 5 is also moved upwardly, while the clamping arm 7 continues to press the material upon the supporting plate 2 until plate 4 has been raised sufliciently so that the arms '6 and 7 extend at such an angle to each other that the clamping arm abuts against the nut 19 and is then taken along upwrdly by the upper arm 6 to the position as shown in FIGURE 2. The marked pieces of material may then be easily removed from the apparatus and new pieces may be inserted. From the above description it is therefore evident that during the last part of the downward movement of the pressure plate 4 and especially during the marking operation the material will always be clamped down in a fixed position by the clamping arms 7 and can thus no longer shift on the supporting plate 2.

The present invention is, of course, not limited to the particular embodiment thereof as previously described and illustrated in the drawings, but there are numerous modifications possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, for example, instead of providing a plurality of individual clamping arms 7 for the different marking units 5, it is possible to provide a single resilient element which would then clamp the pieces of material along their entire length. :For a similar purpose it is also possible to secure separate wider clamping parts to the front ends 20 of the clamping arms 7. The invention may also be applied in connection with other types of marking elements which do not operate by means of heat but, for example, by means of dyes (pulverized dyes or phosphorus) or by making cuts in the material.

In actual practice it has also been found that frequently there is no need to provide a separate clamping arm 7 on each marking unit 5, but that one clamping arm on every second marking unit may suffice. Except for the omission of the clamping arm 7 on every other marking unit 5, all marking units of the apparatus may then be of the same construction. The most important advantage of the invention which has already been described at the beginning is attained by the fact that, whenever a marking unit of the apparatus is adjusted to a different position, the upper and lower marking elements of this unit will always remain in the same position relative to each other. As compared with a marking apparatus which is provided with a continuous marking groove, the apparatus according to the invention has the further advantage that the markings on the material will be made more accurately.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim 1. An apparatus for simultaneously marking the corresponding positions on superimposed pieces of fabric on which buttons and button holes are to be provided comprising a lower fixed plate for supporting the fabric to be marked, an upper pressure plate adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly, and a plurality of readilyinterchangeable marking units each comprising a pair of arms, one of said arms forming a lower arm disposed underneath said lower plate, and the other arm forming an upper arm engaging upon said upper plate, and lower and upper marking elements mounted on said lower and upper arms, respectively, for applying suitable markings on said superimposed fabric pieces which are inserted between said plates, and further comprising means associated with one of said arms of each marking unit for relocating an individual unit with respect to the remaining units.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which each of said units further comprises a bearing bracket secured to said lower arm, said upper arm being pivotably mounted on said bearing bracket.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said upper arm of each unit is adapted to exert at all times a resilient pressure upon said upper pressure plate.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for relocating a single marker unit with respect to the remaining units includes fixed guiding means disposed underneath said lower supporting plate, said lower arm of each unit being slidably guided by said guiding means, spacing means on said lower arm, and connecting means for connecting said spacing means to said lower arm.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, in which said spacing means are designed in the nature of lazy tongs.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, further comprising means for heating said upper pressure plate and said guiding means and for thereby heating said upper and lower marking elements, said upper marking element of each unit extending loosely through said upper arm and engaging directly and slidably upon said upper pressure plate.

7. -An apparatus as defined in claim .1, further comprising means for heating at least said upper pressure plate, said upper marking element of each unit extending loosely through said upper arm and engaging directly and slidably upon said upper pressure plate so as to be heated thereby for ironing the markings on the fabric pieces.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, in which each of said units further comprises a clamping arm between said upper and lower arms and movable upwardly and downwardly together with said upper pressure plate, and means for pivotally mounting said clamping arm at one end thereof so as to be pivotable about the same axis as said upper arm, said clamping arm being adapted to engage resiliently upon the fabric pieces near the points to be marked thereon and to clamp said fabric pieces upon said lower supporting plate before said upper marking element on said upper arm engages upon said fabric pieces.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, in which said clamping arm of each unit is resiliently biased in the direction away from said movable upper pressure plate, and spring means acting upon said clamping arm for at least partly producing the resilience of said arm.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, in which said clamping arm of each unit is resiliently biased in the direction away from said upper arm, said upper arm always acting with a resilient pressure upon said upper pressure plate, and spring means acting in opposite directions on said arms for at least partly producing the resilience of said upper and clamping arms.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, in which each of said units further comprises a member connecting said biased clamping arm with said upper arm and adapted to permit said clamping arm to be moved against its bias toward said upper arm and to limit the extent of the movement of said clamping arm away from said upper arm.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, in which the front end of said biased clamping arm of each unit is bent downwardly and has a serrated lower edge adapted to engage upon the fabric pieces to clamp the same upon said lower supporting plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 711,175 10/1902 Powell et al. 33-190 1,140,304 5/1915 Fredland 33-190 2,925,661 2/1960 Bagley 33-190 3,058,228 10/1962 Maier et a1 33-190 FOREIGN PATENTS 108,720 8/ 1917 Great Britain.

WILLIAM D. MARTIN, IR., Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 223-1 

